Daughter of Ancients: Book Four of the Bridge of d'Arnath

It saddens me that there are only nine customer reviews on this marvelous book! The Bridge of D'Arnath series that Berg has written are marvelous, and full of intelligent creation of several worlds that are all connected. Each volume in the series stands alone, the story never a mere regurgitation of the same plot. Rather, each book has a distinct story line, introduces new characters and places. As such, this fourth installment, Daughter of the Ancients, is no exception. The story begins with Karon facing a slow but brutal death from an internal disease. I had to put this book aside for several months in fact, because when I first began to read it, my own father had just died of a terrible colon cancer. The first chapter simply resonated too closely with my own life: Karon's pain, his weakening, all that I had just lived through. Seri, concerned over her husband's illness, realises that there is probably little she can do but wait for Karon to die. She requests her son Gerick to visit while it is still possible. By chance, visitors also arrive from Gondai. They desperately seek advice from Karon about a woman who has slept for a thousand years under the influence of the evil Lords. The woman, D'Sanya, claims to be a descendant of a ruling family. Before putting her on a throne, however, the people of Gondai want to eliminate some of the concerns they have about her. No-one can put a finger on exactly what the problem is, except that something seems not quite right. D'Sanya has a healing institute, where at the price of sacrificing their magical powers, people can suspend their illnesses. It is decided that Karon should go to one of her clinics, while his son Gerick tries to figure out D'Sanya. Of course, things get complicated very quickly. Gerick falls madly in love with D'Sanya. Karon begins to lose his able mind and is of very little use even though he is no longer sick. Seri is unable to go outside at all because as a mundane, people would instantly recognize her in what is a world full of magic. As Gerick pursues his mission, the past catches up with him. He WAS, after all, one of the Dark Lords himself. Known then as Destroyer, the Lords molded him from childhood in their evil and vile ways. He is recognized by a few former slaves. And more importantly, struggles to put the past successfully behind him: Gerick lives his life in constant fear that the temptation of power will overwhelm his free will. The story escalates nicely towards the end, when Gerick is the only one to feel that something is very wrong with Gondai's magic. It is up to him, and those very, very few that dare to trust him, to save the world. Berg covers the story from several perspectives: Gerick mostly, but also Seri, and a new character, Jen. The points of view bring out different shadings of Gondai and the issues. A delight to read, and a real joy of a story.

It's hard to discuss the story without giving away more of it than I would want to read in a review and, anyway, those who've read the first three books won't think of not reading this one, and those who haven't should go back to the beginning because this is NOT a stand-alone story. Suffice to say that I finished this on a long train journey and by the end of it tears were streaming down my face in full view of the carriage, so utterly mindblown was I by the grandeur and breadth of Miss Berg's imagination, and the sheer BEAUTY of this novel. Truly, I felt privileged to have read it. I always feel as if I've learned something about life on finishing one of Carol Berg's books and I think this is because of her extraordinary gift for characterisation, which is second to none in the genre. Closing the book to go off and do mundane things like eat and work and sleep is like coming up for air, it's so hard to believe (and really quite heartbreaking) that these people and places don't actually exist. Ah! I could extol her talents forever. Enough to say that whatever you do you should read the Bridge of D'Arnath quartet. It's by far the best of her works and, unlike the Rai-Kira trilogy (beautifully conceived, imperfectly executed), never EVER disappoints.

IMO, Son of Avonar was very good, Guardians was brilliant, and Soul Weaver was just okay, so I was a little leery going into Daughter of the Ancients. What a pleasant surprise to find the engaging plot twists and bleak starkness of Guardians coming back to life in this final installment. A thoroughly enjoyable read on its own merits, Daughters does a great job of tying up the Bridge series in classic Berg style. Read every book she writes!

After reading this, I really agreed with Carol Berg that "Soul Weaver" was not going to cut it as the end of the "Bridge D'Arnath" series. Saying that Gerick had too many issues to just leave it at and working with them turned this series from great to incredible. For those who have come to love Berg's world-building, excellent plot twists, and outstanding characters, this book will not disappoint. D'Sanya is quite the enigmatic character, and watching her story unfold is absolutely relishing. Expect some heartbreak for some characters (but fans of Berg know that it doesn't always have to have a happy ending). And finally, Gerick has truly come full circle as a character, miles ahead from the snotty introverted brat he was when we first met him. For any fantasy fan, this series is a must-have. I promise that you can really go out and buy them all, knowing that these books end just as well as they start. Carol Berg is a superb author, and I am eagerly looking forward to her next series.

The Soul Weaver was something of a bump in the road that is the story of Carol Berg's The Bridge of D'Arnath. Full of strange, ambiguous explanations and betrayals that were unbelievably contrived, it will always be the weak link in the chain. But a bump in the road is only a small hinderance when it leads to a destination the likes of Daughter of Ancients. Weaving nearly every aspect of the former books into its tapestry, Daughter of Ancients is a great triumph for Berg...not to mention a wonder for those of us fortunate enough to have stumbled upon her work. Her plots are always fascinating, far above and beyond the plethora of magic sword-wielding farm boys that seem to clog the shelves even now. My only complaints would be, of course, the pieces of the puzzle that don't quite fit into place. Or the peice, that being again The Soul Weaver. The Bounded has no connection to the why and how of the story, aside from being a contrivance to turn Gerick into the man he needed to be, and thus Daughter of Ancients into the book it is. Which is perfectly acceptable in the long run. The problem is that no explanation cropped up in this book to justify the great betrayal at the end of The Soul Weaver. It feels like a clumsy attempt to get the Lords of Zhev'Na out of the way, so that Daughter of Ancients could take place. All other peices fall smoothly into place, though. Those moments of dawning comprehension and wonder that make Berg's work some of my favorites were there in force. She provides her readers with just enough details that an always ticking mind, that can twist logic and imagine possibilities, will see the answers to the riddles mere babysteps ahead of the characters in the books. Like a mystery novel, that sense that you've connection with what the author wished to convey is always satisfying. This is by no means an indication that Berg's work is predictable. On the contrary, her writing is the sort that sends the mind racing after the most absurd, unpredictable of conclusions. "Expect the unexpected" is a perfect term for her books. The final problem with The Soul Weaver was the characters she introduced. Some were weak and some were strong, but the one that needed more than any other to be a strength ended up a weakness. In Daughter of Ancients, her new characters not only have prior connections to the story, but are brought to life so vividly that they leap off the pages. Carol Berg is a woman with extraordinary talent and it's truly a shame that she wallows in near obscurity, while overinflated men like Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind weigh down the shelves with volume upon bloated volume. If you haven't read her work, do yourself a favor, and start.